For the most part of this year, i’ve been obsessing about a house with a garden. I just WANT a garden.
Well, also i really want my own swing.
And i like the idea of my future children having a garden to play in.
Realistically… it’s really expensive to own a house with a garden now. I even asked around for prices in Ara Damansara, and it’s so extortionate i gave up on that area.

When i had the tour of KEN Bangsar last June, I told Sam (from KEN Holdings) that i was interested in houses with GARDENS and he referred me to Legian Residences, saying it’d be ready soon. When i returned from Europe in August, i checked on the property and was drawn to the space and prices – it’s 1,800-2,200 sq. ft./house, and it costs RM560K – RM1.288M. I surfed iProperty and found a number of houses for sale at RM530K so i reckon you can too, at this moment in time.

Another big factor that pulled me, is that KEN Rimba is Malaysia’s first award-winning green township. The township consists of Legian Residences (328 sustainable terraced homes), Jimbaran Residences (ready soon), condominiums, and commercial centre. For now, only Legian Residences is ready for viewing and sale.

KEN embraces all the principles for truly green living. Mostly placed on the North-South axis for maximum cross ventilation (prevailing wind direction), the Legian Residences houses have natural light coming in through generous openings, breathable roofs to keep interiors cool, and rainwater harvests to water the lush gardens. Waste disposal is divided into general and recyclables, and special compost bins are provided (i think that’s so awesome)! KEN plants small but essential steps to going green, reshaping people’s habits so it will become part of their everyday lives.

So much so that KEN Rimba Legian alone has received two awards in 2010:
– BCA Green Mark Gold Award
– GBI Certified Award

[Other areas under the KEN Rimba township like Jimbaran Residences and their Commercial Centre have also reaped awards of their own.]

So you can see why this property was of great interest to me… and it was all the better when Sam set up a tour teamed with a food outing i couldn’t say no to… Klang bak kut teh! This man has got his priorities right. Green living and good food! Yeehah!

I tried ‘dried bak kut teh’ for the first time (so ashamed of myself!) but better late than never. Thanks Sam!

After filling our tummies, we took a drive around Legian Residences.

The whole neighborhood is a guarded community with 24/7 trained security and dog patrol.

Tried to be friendly with the alsatian but it started barking fiercely. At least i know it’s doing its job!

KEN Rimba encourages green energy and healthy living; so parks, bicycle tracks, and footpaths take priority in the planning. Residents even have access to dozens of bicycles which they can use to cycle around the KEN Rimba Township.

Bushes and trees are planted in abundance to separate houses, and to cover any unsightly metal barriers that are imperative for a safe environment.

There’s a playground, exercise equipment, pond, lawns, and basketball court. Sam mentioned that they really wanted to provide a place where it was safe for children to play on the streets, or walk to the playground like how WE used to as children, hence the security and guard dogs. I can’t imagine parents letting their kids do that just anywhere these days… it’s become a bit scary to be that liberal.

Below is a picture of just one of the streets in Legian Residences. There are 328 units of double storey terrace houses, each measuring approximately 1,800 sq. ft. to 2,200 sq. ft.

Streets are exceptionally wide, with big rain trees planted in the middle of the roundabouts – something KEN Holdings had to fight hard with the council for. The city council doesn’t favor trees as much as we would like, as their roots end up breaking drains and and their branches falling on houses. For trees that are closer in proximity to homes, sakura trees were planted for their smaller statue and beautiful pink blooms when in season.

Instead of grey concrete separating the rows of houses; grassy turfed mounds, shady trees, cooling ponds and walkways do the job. A sight much prettier for the eyes!

There are even fish in the ponds so breeding of mosquitoes are prevented.

All the foliage is maintained by KEN Rimba, and residents pay a total sum of RM100/month for its maintenance as well as neighborhood security. Which is not bad, cos i know in PJ/TTDI area, each house usually pays the same amount for a guard that never stops cars and sometimes falls asleep :/

As i mentioned earlier, most of the houses face the North-South direction so that there is constant air flow throughout the house, allowing wind factor without fans. Sam intentionally got us to visit the house at 1pm when it was blazing hot outside just so we could see for ourselves how cooling the interior is in comparison.

The gates are made from rice husk resin (recycled materials). For the driveway, you can see it’s spacious enough for two cars to park inside, and another two cars can park outside the gate without having the vehicles touch the road.

All corner lots in the neighborhood come with its own private swimming pool complete with filtration equipment. The pools have a reasonable maintenance fee of RM100/month. I always thought keeping a pool clean would cost more!

Hedges and trees are consistently planted throughout the residences as well. If you look a bit closer, you can notice the bushes planted just outside the fence so in time, they’ll grow higher and all you see is green! Plus, they’re being maintained by the developer so you don’t have to be the one pruning them

Greenery can grow next to the front door, as the design of the skylight above provides natural light. Hello, more oxygen!

The house is 20 feet wide and 65 feet long.

The dining area is right next to the pool, so it’d be so pleasurable to have a meal while gazing out at the blue water and green garden.

All the fittings in the house are made with high-quality materials from trusted brands. For instance, the kitchen shutters are from Australian brand Breezeway. They open horizontally to allow fresh wind and air in sans rain, and doesn’t rust.

All doors in the house are 8 feet high, projecting a larger and more spacious feel.

Next to the kitchen is the first bedroom, convenient for an elderly family member or the help. The house has 4 Bedrooms + 3 Bathrooms in total.

Toilets in all the houses are built to be in the middle so that rooms at both ends can be much bigger than if toilets were at the end, like most houses we’re used to growing up in Malaysia. It’s amazing how shifting the bathroom makes all the difference to other living spaces.

This is the master bedroom upstairs. It has ample space for a bed, big wardrobe, dressing table and TV. Also comes with its own attached bathroom of course.

This could be the children’s bedroom.

All the bathrooms have ceramic tiles on all the walls up its ceiling height.

And this is the fourth bedroom.

Behind every house are rainwater harvesting tanks which are provided. It allows every household to use the water collected to wash cars or water the garden without wastage.

As for the breathable roofs, they’re designed to remove heat from the attic and whole house. Walls outside are painted with heat-reflective, low VOC paints to reduce heat inside as much as possible. Thought was also given to how the air-conditioning units can be neatly concealed without cluttering the houses’ exterior.

After hanging around the house, we drove back to the main entrance of the township, and passed by the sheltered walkways which residents can use to walk to the nearby LRT station.

In time, two phases of condominiums will be released, and the Commercial Centre which has 109 units of 2 and 3 storey shop lots (rent & sale). KEN Rimba Commercial Centre is the first shop-office development in the country to receive the prestigious BCA Green Mark Certification (Provisional).

As for Jimbaran Residences, the upcoming development has won the prestigious BCA Green Mark GoldPlus (Provisional) for its exemplary green practices. This makes KEN Rimba the top rated green landed property in Malaysia and the first landed homes to achieve such a distinction.

Jimbaran Residences will consist of 168 units measuring approximately 2,100 sq. ft. to 2,500 sq. ft. They will all have 4 Bedrooms + 3 Bathrooms + 1 Attic/Loft. If you’re keen in checking the units out, they’re already open for registration, and the show house will be ready very soon!